iOS 10 will be designed to control your smart home

Standalone HomeKit app tipped to appear

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It's WWDC time next month, the developer conference where Apple will treat us to previews of iOS 10, the next OS X release and upgrades to watchOS and tvOS. We've already heard more than one rumour about what's coming.

Now a source believed to work for Apple has spilled the beans on a standalone HomeKit app set to be introduced in iOS 10. Apparently, the next version of the mobile OS is going to get much more serious about smart home control.

HomeKit has been with us since September 2014 but up until now it's been a background platform that developers and hardware manufacturers can make use of if they want to. This update will make it far more prominent for users.

Smart move, Apple

And it's about time too - other companies are making serious headway with smart home gadgets and services, and Apple is obviously keen to keep up the pace. It's possible another slew of HomeKit-compatible devices are on the horizon too.

The revelation came via an Amazon review believed to have been left by one of Apple's marketing team, as MacRumors reports. "The next version of iOS due this fall will have a standalone 'HomeKit' app," he wrote.